Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Finally something about Gracie..

So yesterday I met a fellow blogger..JP2..(you know who you are) and we had an e-mail conversation and I thought, Wow this is stuff I should be posting about Grace..so I'm going to reword a bit of it to make it more Blog friendly and maybe you can get a little bit of something from it as well..

As I've posted below Gracie has recently become a complete Asshat. (Picture Teenage girl not getting her way, scary I know I was one once a very long time ago) so here is a the low down.

Gracie is almost 3 (she's a May 2006 baby)... Right now she is just about out of control...We just moved to a new barn and she was doing great at the old barn working well in the round pen great ground work and manners...learning to lunge. When we first moved to the new barn we started working on some free lunging in the round pen and we where doing great she was moving off of hand commands turning when I asked and stoping on a dime when asked. Then the weather turned to CRAP. I hadn't been out in about a week when I went out and she broke BOTH side ties in the tack up area. SHE has NEVER done that. I guess I should go back a bit to when I first brought her home. She is a Chris Bickford baby...(don't know if you know of him or not but anyway) She had NO handling what so ever, no halter training, her feet had never been done and I started from scratch with her which is what I wanted....She has come so far she is now great with the farrier, she used to be great being tied and now we have back tracked to ground Zero.

She's in good health has a great barn with a nice run is getting too cozy with the other BBFF's pony (Star) and has turned into a complete ass in the span of two weeks. She actually kicked out at the Farrier on friday..she again has never behaved that way...not even on her first trim..She is a great horse and we are bonded (or so I think) She knows I'm her horse mom and she normally is very respectful..so I'm not sure what the hell is going on with her. Any advice from the been there done that's is always needed and welcome.

What will Gracie be when she grows up?

Gracie is going to be my.....don't know yet. She is bred for Saddle seat..but I would love to learn Dressage or Hunt seat...I know I have a long road with her and I adore her..she is a very giving and sensitive horse. But she is also a Fight or Flight minded horse...so I know I have alot of work but I think/hope in the long run she will be an amazingly beautiful mount if for nothing else that to drag to open shows and maybe a few Ay-rab shows..but that's a ways down the road. I'm thinking of trying some showmanship with her this spring-summer if I can get her over herself already, the sooner the better.

I hope to get out to the barn this weekend to start working with her. One of my New Years goals is to get to the barn at Least 3 times a week. More if possible and get her where she needs to be with her ground training....trailer her to a few shows if possible and learn as much as I can...I'll need all the help I can get so please throw your comments and suggestions my way as I will be scouring all of your blogs and looking for any tidbits that might work for us if they have worked for you!

To all of my new Blog friends and especially to my BBFF...May the New Year see all of your resolutions come to pass...May your goals be BIG ones....(let me know what your horsey goals are for the next year!) and may love find you happy and healthy! Big Kiss! To you and your equine partners!

I am off to Seattle tomorrow...so I'll see you guys on Sat!

2 comments:

  1. Gracie will be a RockStar.

    Thanks for my gift.. Will be put to use later ;)

    Have fun in Seattle... not.. IF you freak , I will come get you!

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  2. Weeeelllll . . . I don't have an Arab, but I have a Thoroughbred, which is another intelligent horse who needs a job, consistency and mental stimulation. Two year old Arab fillies are probably not the type of horse that can take a lot of time off, I'm afraid.

    On on the days you don't have a lot of time, do in-hand work for 15-20 minutes, showmanship, trail in-hand, light lunging. On those three days per week that you want to get to the barn, do more in-depth work whether in the saddle or on the ground. You can do mentally stimulating work with her like trot poles, barrels (not racing, but figure 8s at a walk or trot), keep her mind working.

    Horses need leadership or they can go awry. I think that often and definitely with some horses you need to be their boss first (a firm but fair boss), friend later. At the age of two, work on manners and respect first and foremost. She sounds like a horse who will take a mile if given an inch.

    On the other hand, you can't really expect her to do great things if there is no consistency, she's been cooped up, she's bored, etc. So be sure to take that into consideration. If she's been cooped up all day due to weather/footing, let her get her bucks out before you cross-tie her or work on showmanship.

    What kind of feed is she getting? I would cut out all sugars and simple carbs. It's not natural or good for them and can make them a little nutty and spooky. Check your supplements, too, there may be a lot more sugar in there than you realize. Check the beet pulp, see if there is molasses and how much. Not all horses can handle alfalfa unless they are in daily work.

    With consistent work, even just 20 minutes per day, exercise (even just regular turnout) and good leadership, I bet you'll see a different horse in a matter of weeks!

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